Students

I love that game. I hear responses such as firefighters, doctors, mommies, teachers; you name it. One little girl told me she wanted to be a doctor, the president and a jeweler; she just wasn’t sure she’d have time to be all three.

The goal of education is to produce young people who are fully prepared for the workforce that awaits them outside of high school or college and to help them become fully engaged, productive citizens.

At the State Department of Education, we send frequent emails and e-newsletters to communicate important programs to educators throughout the state. I would like to reiterate a few of those offerings in my regular column.

State Superintendent Janet Barresi will request $37.7 million in supplemental funding for this school year to the state Legislature next week to fund the flexible health benefits allowance for education employees, and reforms such as the Reading Sufficiency Act and Achieving Classroom Excellence remediation.

"This request comes on behalf of school superintendents," State Superintendent Janet Barresi. "If approved, can be used by schools this year to help pay for programs that help children learn to read and be fully prepared for end-of-instruction tests."

I remember what it was like as a child preparing to ask my parents for a raise in my allowance. I was asking them to part with their hard-earned money, and I just knew I would get that lecture on spending wisely and the importance of saving. I spent a lot of time rehearsing the reasons why such a raise was necessary; then I screwed up my courage and hoped for the best.

Ripley Elementary School in the Ripley School District and Sweetwater Elementary School in the Sweetwater School District have been named this year’s National Title I Distinguished School Award winners.

The National Title I Distinguished Schools Program is a project of the National Title I Association that publicly recognizes schools for their positive educational advances.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education (SDE), in partnership with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), is offering AlcoholEdu® for High School through a new online learning platform.